May 01, 2019

The Simpsons and others should learn Newfoundland before cracking jokes

Here's the full context of last night's Simpsons episode making fun of Newfoundlanders, does it change anything that they were pointing out that Canadians don't always treat Newfoundlanders well? (Video from CityTV) pic.twitter.com/4uljG1rXVl

Newfoundland is celebrating 70 years of being a part of Canada. The territory officially joined Canada at midnight on April 1, 1949.

For most of that time, Canada hasn't treated Newfoundlanders well. They were different and not just because The Rock was 30 minutes ahead of the Atlantic Time Zone.

Reducing the people of Newfoundland to "Newfie" is simplistic, especially since their Maritime neighbours don't suffer a similar fate. If the insinuation is more rural as opposed to the "big" city of St. John's, most of Canada could be identified by that word.

South Park used that word in It's Christmas in Canada (Season 7, episode 15) in 2003 and implied that people from Newfoundland were into sodomy. There might have been some controversy but the Internet is broader in scope 16 years later.

Someone on the Twitter account for CNN's Parts Unknown hosted by Anthony Bourdain used that term on the Newfoundland episode of the travel series: "Embrace the Newfies as they are." There was a lot of people upset at the use of the term.

“Where the wind blows cold and there’s ice and snow, some days go on forever. But I’m warm and fed in a Newfoundlander’s bed, I’ll be an islander forever. I’ll be an islander forever.”

Those are the lines that the Newfoundland version of Ralph Wiggum sings in The Simpsons episode D'oh Canada that aired earlier this week on Fox and Citytv.

A few media outlets attributed the song to The Islander by Bruce Moss, but the lyrics in the show don't match up with the 1982 song. Moss said in an interview that The Simpsons offered him $20,000 U.S. to licence the song but he refused.

"I'm not sorry I didn't license it. And after what I've been told about this episode, I'm really happy I didn't." Moss told The St. John's Morning Show.

Several Google searches didn't net a result for the origin of the song in the episode. Tom Power of Q likely knows the answer. The song lyrics rang true and was more a part of Newfoundland than the lame jokes.

Humour can be fun when there is some truth behind the joke. The show could have joked about cod shortages or the time zone difference of being a half-hour ahead or taught the world what "b'y" means. The joke could have been about screech or rum or everyone has a pet moose. The focus could have been on the province having the worst literacy rate in Canada.

The problem with the "clubbing baby seals" joke is that there is no truth. The act has been illegal for more than 30 years. Most hunting involves adult animals for a simple reason: you get more benefit from a larger animal, especially in an indigenous culture where the whole animal is used (buffalo, seal).

When I was in Newfoundland, I heard quite a few people share with me variations on what happens in the seal hunt. I've seen a seal hunt in films and on television. Anthony Bourdain covered the seal hunt and how the whole seal is used in a visit to Quebec.

The Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon along with Canadian icon Pamela Anderson visited St. John's in 2013. Simon, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, offered $1 million to Canadian sealers to give up the seal hunt.

Newfoundland native Mark Critch (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) crashed the photo-op with his much smaller $1 million check that he offered to Pamela Anderson to stop acting.

There is nothing wrong with being anti-hunting as a general concept but the seal hunt has been a target based on the incorrect perception of "clubbing baby seals." That perception has cost the native people in that region from being denied the right to sell goods made from seals outside of Canada.

If you are looking to take away an impression of Newfoundland other than lame jokes from The Simpsons, Come From Away is a remarkable legacy. Gander and many other communities suddenly hosted people on airplanes that landed in eastern Canada on September 11, 2001.

The generosity was amazing to the travelers but typical of how Newfoundlanders are. I saw similar hospitality to me during my visit there in 2015.

You could also watch Republic of Doyle with Allan Hawco to see Newfoundland. The CBC show is available in the U.S. on Netflix.

We will also talk about Newfoundland and Labrador as the province gets ready for its election in 2 weeks on May 16.